1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to small article transport and/or positioning apparatus and methods in which means are provided to remove improperly positioned small articles from a moving array of same. Small articles such as pharmaceutical capsules, pharmaceutical tablets, candies, machine parts, cigarettes, buttons and the like are transported in large numbers and at high speed in an array along a predetermined path. Upon one of the articles being mispositioned in the array, the mispositioned article(s) is quickly and reliably removed from the moving array.
The articles may be somewhat symmetrical with respect to an axis through the article and may have portions having different dimensions with respect to the same axis of the article. Examples of such articles are telescoping pharmaceutical capsules, pharmaceutical tablets having bulbous sides, screws having enlarged heads, hard candies and the like. These articles may be "rectified" or positioned with all of the articles in the moving array having their axes aligned in a common direction with respect to the direction of movement and having their portions of different dimensions positioned in a common orientation, with respect to the article axes, while in the moving array.
If the articles are merely odd shaped, such as solid nut candies, the articles may be regularly placed and spaced in the array but not rectified or positioned. Rectification has no meaning with respect to such articles.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Machines which automatically sort, transport and arrange, position or rectify articles, such as pharmaceutical capsules, pharmaceutical tablets and candies are known in the art. Typically the capsules, tablets or other articles are randomly loaded into a hopper, transferred to a conveyor and then rectified, positioned or otherwise moved into a desired orientation in a moving array. Finally the articles travel to a work station, such as a printing station. U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,931,292 and 3,931,884 disclose representative prior art devices. U.S. Pat. No. 3,871,295 discloses pharmaceutical capsule rectification.
It is desirable to provide an article trnsport device which removes non-rectified or improperly positioned articles from a moving array without destructing the removed articles, so they can be subsequently reprocessed.